Eighth ZIKV Case Confirmed in Australia

ZIKV infected man staying in area infested with Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

Authorities are on high alert in Queensland, Australia after the eighth person in the country contracted Zika virus.

A Rockhampton man has become the eighth Queenslander to be diagnosed with Zika virus, but is the first to have brought it back to an area inhabited by the type of mosquito that could spread it.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the main Zika vector, have been found around the hotel in Rockhampton where the infected patient is staying, prompting the health alert.

“This is the most concerning case of Zika so far in Queensland because it’s someone who has the virus in an area where there is the mosquito capable of transmitting the virus,” said Queensland Health Minister.

Authorities are now spraying chemicals designed to kill mosquitoes in a 200-meter radius of the hotel, said a report.

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M5.0 Quake Strikes Planet of the Abes

Strong tremors reportedly felt at  Fukushima triple meltdowns site

Magnitude: 5.0Mw [USGS/EHP]
Location: 38.316°N, 141.877°E; depth=44.9 km (27.9 mi)
Time: 2016-02-24 16:10:50 (UTC)
Nearby Cities:

• 51km (32mi) ESE of Ishinomaki, Japan
• 59km (37mi) ESE of Yamoto, Japan
• 69km (43mi) ESE of Wakuya, Japan
• 71km (44mi) E of Matsushima, Japan
• 350km (217mi) NNE of Tokyo, Japan

Fiji Forecast

FIRE-EARTH Alert 

Fiji Forecast broadcast on CH11 today at 14:32 UTC

Crop Disasters Declared in Montana

Frost, hail and high winds destroy crops in Montana counties

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated four counties in Montana as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by frost, hail and high winds that occurred on July 4, 2015, through July 5, 2015.

Those counties are Blaine, Chouteau, Hill and Liberty.

All counties listed above were designated crop disaster areas on Feb. 17, 2016.

Links to previous disaster listings posted at

• Crop Disasters Declared in the U.S. States of North Carolina and Virginia February 11, 2016

• Crop Disasters Declared in Two U.S. States February 5, 2016
• Extreme Weather Events Destroy Crops in Georgia & the Carolinas January 24, 2016
• Multiple Crop Disasters Declared in Three U.S. States January 9, 2016
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

M4.0 Shock Shakes Oqulahoma

M4.0 quakes strikes 7km SW of Langston, Oklahoma

Earthquake Details

Magnitude: 4.0Mw
Location: 35.898°N, 97.319°W; depth=5.0 km (3.1 mi)
Nearby Cities

• 7km (4mi) SW of Langston, Oklahoma
• 9km (6mi) ENE of Guthrie, Oklahoma
• 30km (19mi) NNE of Edmond, Oklahoma
• 33km (21mi) SW of Stillwater, Oklahoma
• 50km (31mi) NNE of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Fiji Declares a State of Disaster

TC WINSTON kills 48, leaves 45,245 displaced

Category 5, Severe Tropical Cyclone WINSTON struck the island nation of Fiji on 20 and 21 February  cutting a path of destruction across the country.

Summary from NDMO SITREP NO. 26

• The cyclone is estimated to be the most severe ever to hit Fiji, and probably the South Pacific.

• 48 people have been confirmed dead, 167 injured [including 45 hospitalized.]

• Some 45,245 people are currently sheltering in 763 evacuation centers.

• 104 schools have been damaged or destroyed.

• 100 per cent of crops are reported destroyed in the worst affected areas.

• Entire communities/villages have been wiped out.

• A 30-day State of Disaster has been declared.

Terminal building in Koro and Vanuabalavu airports are completely destroyed, the fire station in Savusavu is severely damaged.